a bleeding purple utah jazz blog

Game 23 vs. LAL: 6-on-4 works for me

Just like Boozer was the Rockets’ 6th man in early November, Broken Finger Waa Waa Waa* (his native American name) was our 6th man tonight, and it worked out well for us.

100% of the feeds I’ve watched this season were Jazz feeds (i.e. with Boler and Booner commentating), which was why I was surprised to find today’s feed a Licker feed. No complaints there either, as I was ecstatic to hear Hot Rod’s voice…until I realized that whoever was commentating alongside him was a blithering babbler that wouldn’t let Hot Rod talk. Even though my dear Hot Rod was already reduced to only saying things like how many minutes were left in the quarter and what the score was, he kept interrupting Hot Rod and talking over him (yes, we really needed to know that Broken Finger Waa Waa Waa could barely fist-bump). It was a complete travesty, and so filled me with rage. I’m also pretty sure that Hot Rod’s mic volume was set on low. Who the hell did that guy think he was? Leave it to a LA person to be completely ignorant of the fact that Hot Rod is an institution unto himself and–wait for it–le.gen.dar.y.

DWill did what he always does, but our wings were the story of the night for me. OMSW and Ronnie B combined for 15-25, with Wesley contributing 6 assists and Brew collecting 8 boards. Ronnie made shots like he was making up for last year’s Playoffs, and after the game,

Williams said Matthews “took it personal” after going 2-for-12 in Wednesday’s loss to the Lakers. “That last game, he came and told me that next day, he said, ‘I’ll never play like that on offense and defense again,'” Williams said. (sltrib)

You gotta love OMSW. From his team-best defense to his attitude, there’s just so much to appreciate.

Some questions:
–Why is Memo playing so blah? It seems to be very reminiscent of how he played the last time Yeliz was pregnant.
–Is AK ever coming back?
–Will Fes ever see the light of playing time again?
–What’s up with game-attending Jazz fans? Our famous home court advantage seems to be no more. Not only is the building emptier than we’ve ever seen, but they’ve taken to leaving early. If you’re lucky enough to attend games, stay and root for the boys! Show you care! They need you! Rah rah rah!

*When you’re a real man, you don’t tell anyone about your injuries/illnesses, because you don’t need a ready excuse in case you play poorly. You just play, and you will get pissed if your coaches/teammates/team officials dare to mention it to the media. That is what we learned during the good ol’ days in Utah (spoken like someone who’s actually been to Utah, ha):

“I will tell you, there was one year in the early ’90s and we were playing Seattle in the playoffs,” said Jazz assistant coach Phil Johnson. “John had an elbow injury, and he could not lift his right arm. He spent most of the series dribbling with his left hand. He even considered shooting free throws with his left hand, but he did not want to let the Sonics know that he was hurt. He never told the press, never told anyone. After the season, he had surgery on his elbow. No one ever knew. We knew in the locker room only because he didn’t want to hurt the team. But he hated for anyone outside to ever know he was hurt.” (Sporting News)
…
A case in point is last year’s [1996] playoffs. [Stockton] resolutely insisted he was fine, that there were no injuries bothering him. Yet his game was below his normal standards. But in an interview last week, Sloan said Stockton’s arm “bothered him a great deal” in the playoffs, and that he played until the final two or three games with so much pain he couldn’t straighten his arm. Yet when Stockton was asked prior to Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals about injuries, he replied, “No, there’s nothing to worry with it. I can’t use any excuses.” On other occasions during the playoffs, he merely said, “I’m fine.”

At the same time, Sloan said, “He’s on the floor. He’s healthy.” (desnews)